The Reincarnated Legend
by Ealdor
Summary: After centuries of searching, Merlin has finally found Arthur's reincarnation. Now he has to endure a year's worth of high school to try and get close to him so he can eventually get his old friend back.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I do not own Merlin or most of the characters used in this fanfiction. Rated K. I'm just testing out an idea to see if it gets any interest. Please R&R to tell me what you think and if you want me to write more chapters._

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Chapter 1

_In a land of technology, and a time of advancement... The destiny of a great city rests on the shoulders of a young boy. His name... Merlin._

Merlin had never been to school before. Never, in all of his years of searching, had he so much as entered such a ghastly unruly place. Disheveled teenagers shoved past him on their way down the corridors, shouting abuse at each-other in loud, arrogant voices. _Of course I'd find Arthur here,_ Merlin thought, _everyone here seems to be just like him. _

The boy shifted awkwardly in his ill-fitting uniform. Perhaps he should have bought this a_fter _transforming himself into a sixteen-year-old boy. Now that he thought about it, he probably looked rather strange in that clothing shop. An old man trying on teenage uniform, very odd indeed.

Though, it seemed like quite a few of the boys here seemed to not be wearing the uniform correctly. Their ties hung loose, top buttons undone, their jumpers creased and bedraggled.

He stood there in his perfectly ironed white shirt, his black, hemmed trousers and his thin, yellow and brown tie. His tie was fastened almost to choking strength and his hair was combed neatly so as to make a good first impression. By the looks he was getting from the other students, it seemed to be doing the opposite.

"Swot!" someone called to him from further down the hallway but he tried to ignore it. What the hell was a 'swot' anyway? It sounded like some sort of made-up word. Instead of retorting, he fiddled with the strap of his backpack- feeling somewhat out of place. His eyes wandered the crowds of pupils for any sign of the reason he had came to this hellhole.

Then, he spotted him. The familiar dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and arrogant grin. _Arthur._ Merlin smiled a little to himself. It had been too long. At one time, Merlin had thought that he'd never miss the self-centered, cocky prince but here he was after searching for centuries.

Of course, this Arthur couldn't know that he was the legendary king of Camelot. No, that would be down to Merlin to convince him. It would be no easy task, not at all. No doubt this Arthur would be as defiant to reasoning as the old one. Merlin would have to prove it, prove that he was a reincarnation.

He'd heard rumours over the years from other warlocks and witches that there was a way to tap into the memories of a past life. Perhaps he could find out how it was done and use it on Arthur, make him see sense. For now, he would lie in wait- watching and studying the reincarnated prince until he had grown close enough to the boy that it was likely he would believe him.

[-]

"Merlin Ealdor?" asked the woman behind the desk as Merlin walked inside to collect his timetable and school diary. She sat, slouched and annoyed-looking as though her job was the dullest that could ever exist. Her thin, greasy, grey hair was tied into a bun at the nape of her neck and the most colourful thing she was wearing was the dark blue scarf around her neck, even that seemed worn and pale.

The boy gave a curt nod of his head. "That's me," he replied, offering her a small smile.

The miserable woman didn't so much as look up at him as she thrust a piece of paper and one of the planners in his direction. He caught them, thankfully.

"Thank you," Merlin said politely, waiting to see if she was going to say anything else. Perhaps she could point out the direction to his first class? Or wish him good luck on his first day. After a few moments of awkward silence, the boy turned and exited the office.

His first impressions of this school: most of the students seemed to be stuck up prats and the teachers seemed to be miserable turnip heads. At least the building itself looked presentable... sort of. Save for the used chewing gum under the tables and the suspicious stains all over the floors, the walls and the ceiling... and the broken windows, the litter and the crumbling paint. Okay, perhaps it wasn't in the least bit presentable.

[-]

Merlin arrived almost half an hour late for his first lesson, something called 'Tutor Time'. When reading that, the boy had mentally gone over what such a class could entail and yet, upon arrival, all it seemed to be was some sort of social time for the students. Most seats seemed to be taken so he sat down at the most empty table in the room. It was inhabited by only one girl, her head stuck in a book.

The boy's eyes ran over the front cover. It was something called 'War of the Worlds' by someone named 'H.G. Wells'. Merlin had never heard nor seen such a book before. On the front there was an image depicting what seemed to be a robot invasion (yes, Merlin actually did know what a robot was) with fires and ships flying overhead.

He didn't notice that the girl was now looking at him, having seen him studying her book. "You read it before?" she asked suddenly, not even introducing herself before speaking to him.

"Um, no," Merlin replied. "I prefer old classics over new, modern stuff."

The girl gave a soft laugh. "This is classic," she replied. "It was originally published at the end of the nineteenth century."

"I like stuff even older than that," the boy murmured, not really sure how to answer.

Her brown hair fell in her face as she tilted her head curiously, her bright green eyes gazing at him. "Things that include words like 'thou' and 'thus'?" she asked. "They bore the hell out of me."

Merlin shrugged but didn't say anything in reply.

"I'm Thalia," she said. "What's your name?"

"Merlin," he replied simply.

Thalia's eyes widened a little in surprise. "That's brilliant," she said. "Are your parents fans of old English legends?"

Merlin gave her an odd look, taking a moment to respond. "I guess you could say that." He hadn't expected someone to recognise the name, not in this age; but she had. Was he famous still? He hadn't realised that many people would take notice of the sidekick warlock when he was overshadowed by a great king.

"I love those myths," Thalia admitted. "Magic and wizardry, it would be so awesome if that really existed. I could be all like bam!" She made a motion like she was about to slap him but stopped short. "And you'd be a toad." She smiled happily, looking pleased.

"Yeah, awesome..." Merlin mumbled softly, his eyes focused on the table in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I won't be posting a chapter every day but I got so much interest that I just had to. Thanks and keep favouriting, following and reviewing!

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Chapter 2

The canteen was large and disorganised. The tables and chairs were set at odd angles with barely enough room for Merlin to walk through. The smells were overpowering; stale pizza with a hint of vomit, not exactly appetising.

At one of the tables sat Arthur. He was surrounded by other boys, some of which Merlin found familiar-looking. One stood eating an apple, looking as if it was one of the best things he had ever eaten. (Gwapple) Another was wearing a shirt with the sleeves cut off, his muscles looking overly-developed for a school boy.

_Now is the perfect opportunity,_ Merlin thought to himself as he headed towards the table. Looking directly at Arthur, he found himself smiling. "Hi, I'm Merlin," he said as he held out his hand for the other boy to shake.

Arthur looked at his hand as if Merlin was handing him a dead animal. "And...?" he asked snottily, raising an eyebrow. The rest of the boys burst out laughing.

"Obviously doesn't know who he's talking to," said one of them.

"What an idiot," said another.

Then Merlin felt himself being pulled back by his backpack, away from the table. He turned after a few steps, frowning as he realised that Thalia had been the one to pull him away.

"People like us do not talk to people like them," she told him as she slid onto an empty table. "What were you thinking?"

_People like us? _Merlin thought to himself. _This reminds me so much of how Arthur and I were in the beginning..._

"You brought your own lunch or do you have to go buy it?" Thalia asked as she brought out a cheese sandwich which looked like it had been ran over with a steam roller, a packet of salt and vinegar crisps and a bottle of Volvic mineral water. Merlin had never understood all of the different brands of bottled water. Water was water, right?

"I have to buy it..." Merlin replied as he glanced nervously at the queue of rowdy children waiting to pay for their food.

Thalia nodded. "Go on, then," she told him. "But don't get anything with beans," she added. "I once found a piece of chewing gum on my chips after asking for them."

Merlin nodded and hesitantly walked towards the line, picking up a tray and some cutlery as he went. He stood at the back and waited.

And waited...

And waited...

Then he was finally at the serving hatch. There was the option of chicken curry- or... at least... he _assumed_ it was chicken- chips and beans, or spaghetti and meatballs. Out of the three options, Merlin chose the spaghetti.

One thing he could appreciate about this era was some of the foods that they had. He'd actually been hoping for pizza, a food he had actually discovered sometime in the 50s and could never get enough of since. Especially pepperoni. Someone with magic must've invented that, surely.

There was a bit of a surprise as he reached the till, being greeted by a smiling staff member. Yes, actually smiling. It was strange to see an adult smiling after all of the droning, miserable dollop heads he'd had in his classes.

After telling him the price of his meal and collecting his money from him, she gave him a nod. "Enjoy your meal, darlin'."

Glancing around the room to locate Thalia again, he noted that the table she had been sitting on had been vacated. Had she just left him? That didn't seem very... His thought trailed off as he noticed her talking, no; shouting, at a girl over at a different table. The girl was younger, with blonde hair but the same green eyes that Thalia had. Either a sibling or a close relative.

There was a blue-eyed boy sitting opposite the girl, looking very much like he wanted to run from the angry Thalia. His dark hair drooped into his eyes as he lowered his head to place his gaze on his meal instead. Merlin couldn't stop staring at him, trying to work out why he looked so familiar.

Merlin wasn't particularly sure what to do in that moment. Instead he just stood there, looking foolish. He didn't notice that Arthur had left his table and was now walking towards the serving hatch, in his direction. Nor did he notice the spilled drink on the floor that someone had carelessly failed to clean up.

It was only when he heard the yell and felt the tray forced from his hands that he noticed anything like that. Arthur was by now sprawled across the floor, face buried in the spaghetti with sauce covering his face and the front of his uniform.

The blue eyes turned to look at Merlin, glaring and narrowing- filled with nothing but fury.

"You're still such a clotpole, aren't you?" Merlin said, smirking slightly. Then he noticed Arthur's muscles tense.

"MERLIN!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he charged to his feet. Merlin took the opportunity of the time that it took for Arthur to get up to run. He weaved through the tables and out of the door, sprinting in the direction of the toilets.

[-]

Twenty minutes later, the boy was still in there. Every few seconds, the door rattled as the sound of a fist hitting the door resonated throughout the lavatories. "Come out here, you little coward!" Arthur growled through the locked door.

"I'm fine in here," Merlin replied from his seat on the covered toilet. "Quite comfortable actually." He placed his feet up on the door, a little nervous of the rusty hinges and Arthur's strength. Then there came the sound of footsteps as Arthur exited, finally giving in- or so Merlin thought.

Merlin waited a few minutes, to check that he had definitely gone, before unlocking the door and heading out. He was immediately shoved back in, someone grabbing his arms from behind as someone landed a punch in his abdomen.

"You. Little. Worm." Arthur accentuated as he landed another blow, causing Merlin to let out a small 'oof'.

This went on for a few more minutes before something unexpected happened. Arthur was thrown into the wall from behind, his arm twisting behind his back. "You so much as twitch, prissy boy, I break your arm," growled Thalia in Arthur's ear.

"I'd like to see you-" Arthur's arrogant retort was cut off as Thalia twisted his arm a little more, making him cry out in pain.

"You go run back to class, prissy boy. I find you beating up my friend again and I won't be so nice," Thalia told him before letting him go, Arthur staggering away from her.

"Come on," he said and Merlin felt the guy who was holding him let go and move past him to follow Arthur.

Thalia then looked at Merlin. "You okay?" she asked.

The boy nodded. "Yeah... thanks," he replied. Then he glanced around. "Um... you're..."

"In the boys' toilets," Thalia nodded. "Let's get out before someone spots us and starts spreading rumours." She grabbed his arm and pulled him from the bathrooms.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry you've been waiting over a week for this. I had planned to update on Sunday but Christmas stuff got in the way and then I had school on the other days and *sigh* I didn't have a chance to update until today. I think I'm going to set Sunday as my, hopefully, regular update day. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 3

The school day finally came to an end. It seemed to have dragged on for Merlin and all he could think about was the freedom that he would get as soon as he was out. Of course, some things about this experience he found fascinating. Such as the way some teachers didn't notice students falling asleep in their class, the way students seemed to idolize idiots and push aside the smart guys, even the attitude of some people towards their lessons astounded him.

During his last period, three people had been sent outside due to being rude to the teacher. They had also been given detentions, meaning they'd have to stay in school even longer tomorrow. If they hated this place so much then what was the point in doing things that meant they'd have to endure it for a lengthier period of time?

As Merlin stepped out of the double doors at the front of school, he was once again confronted by Arthur the bully. But, at least this time it wasn't in a violent manner. The boy looked annoyed, extremely ticked off. When Merlin noticed that, he gave a soft sigh of recognition- for Camelot Arthur had looked like that quite a lot.

Merlin had expected the boy to stop, but he didn't as he passed him- heading back into the school. Instead there were just a few warning words.

"That girl won't be around to save you all of the time, Merlin. I'll get you." The words were barely audible over the noise of the other chattering students.

"I've beat you plenty of times," Merlin replied, not even explaining as he walked down the stairs and began to walk down the path, leaving Arthur wondering what he meant.

Then Merlin's head turned and his jaw dropped as he focused on a girl with raven hair and bright, green eyes. That wasn't possible, was it? Only Arthur was supposed to be reborn. The young warlock hadn't been expecting anyone else, especially Morgana.

She must have spotted him at almost the same moment, her eyes locked on his from across the road. A frown covered her face and her head tilted slightly as she studied him. Then her mouth formed a single, silent word which had Merlin reeling in shock.

_Emrys._

No! How? How did she know that word? His name, the name the druids had given him. He stood stock-still, not knowing what to do and hardly even remembering how to move.

"Boo!"

Merlin almost jumped out of his skin as Thalia dived onto his back. He found a small cry of fright being emitted from his mouth as his breathing accelerated to almost double its regular speed.

"Did I scare you?" she asked, though it was obvious from her tone that the question was rhetorical- she already knew that she had.

He glared at her for a moment before his eyes turned back to where Morganna had been but she was gone. His brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to locate her.

"What are you staring at?" Thalia asked as she followed his gaze, confused at why he was staring at an empty space.

"N-nothing," Merlin replied quickly which caused Thalia to narrow her eyes slightly.

After a moment, she shrugged. "Whatever," she muttered then turned to walk off. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

The boy nodded and gave a slight wave before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

[-]

Upon arriving home to his flat, Merlin changed out of his uniform into some joggers and a t-shirt before starting on his homework. It was boring but he knew he'd have to keep up, even if he didn't plan on being there for the whole year.

Once that was over and done with, he grabbed his laptop and placed it on the table in front of him. As he did almost every night, Merlin scoured the news for any sort of stories that could have been caused by magic but, as per usual, he came up with nothing. Sometimes, the boy wondered if magic had died out completely over the past few hundreds of years. It didn't seem to show anymore.

With a world so focused on gadgetry and finding answers, Merlin was almost sure that it would have uncovered some magical people by now. Unless they, like him, had adapted to keep their powers a secret.

[-]

By the end of the night, Merlin was stretched across the sofa with a bowl of Doritos in his lap and the television playing a repeat of Sherlock. The boy had found a fascination in crime dramas but this was by far his favourite. Being that it was rather late, Merlin had slipped into a slumber. One hand was placed behind his leg, the other drooped towards the ground.

There came a small rustle from the kitchen as a woman with curly, dirty-blonde hair rifled through some of the drawer. The boy didn't so much as stir as this was going on, for which the woman was glad. After a little longer of searching and finding nothing, she slipped something into one of the drawers and turned to leave, the door locking with a wave of her hand and a whispered word.

"You just wait, Emrys," she murmured before disappearing into the night.

Only then did Merlin finally wake. He wiped the drool from his chin and moved the bowl from his lap to the coffee table, sitting up with a yawn. Glancing around, he felt odd- as if something was out of place. Shrugging it off, he shut off the television and moved to bed to rest up before his next day at school.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry it's late again, guys. I saved it to the wrong computer without emailing it to myself and couldn't get to it until today. Thanks for all of the brilliant reviews, please keep posting them. I'll also be adding a poll to my profile soon to vote on which shippings you would like to see in this fanfic.

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Chapter 4

Arriving at school the next day, Merlin didn't stop as he headed inside. Something was different today, something which made him feel eerie and odd. It was the little things that announced the difference to him. The one girl standing by her locker; staring absently into space, the students whispering and gossiping amongst themselves in tones that told him that they didn't know if they should be talking about the topic of their conversation.

Thalia was standing outside of the classroom, watching as he approached. As he opened his mouth to ask what was going on, she started talking before he had uttered a single word.

"Some kid died," she told him. "Last night. He was in the year below us."

Merlin nodded and silence fell between them for a few, long moments before he finally managed to word what he wanted to ask. "How did he die?"

The girl's shoulders visibly slumped. "Nobody knows," she replied. "Not even the pathologists or coroners. They say he froze to death but it wasn't even that cold last night. Apparently he's not the only one either. There's been other deaths reported which are exactly the same as his. It's so… weird."

Merlin watched her for another moment before turning his eyes away. Was this what he had been searching for? Was magic finally beginning to show itself again?

"I have to go," the boy told her before turning and walking back down the corridor towards the door, leaving Thalia wondering where he was off to.

"Not so fast, Merlin," said a voice as he was pushed against the wall upon getting out of the door.

Merlin looked at the bully, annoyed. "I don't have time for you today, Arthur," he told him honestly and tried to manoeuvre away from him. Arthur put his hand out and shoved his shoulder against the wall, hard.

The smaller, skinnier boy growled in pain before shoving the larger one away. "You want to fight?" he asked. "Fine, we'll fight."

Arthur smirked. "Good lad. There might be some courage in that small mind of yours after all." Then he backed up a couple of steps, allowing Merlin to move away from the wall. When he thought he had gone far enough, the brawny boy threw a punch at Merlin's gut.

Merlin slowed his fist using magic, his eyes flashing gold for a moment as he dodged around him. "Just like old times," he murmured to himself.

Arthur stumbled and looked around at him, confused. The confusion made him angrier and he turned to aim another punch, this time at Merlin's face.

The skinny boy was sent staggering backwards as he failed to avoid it. Once again, eyes flashing gold, he used magic to cheat on the fight.

Well, technically it wasn't cheating because Arthur hadn't specified that he couldn't use magic; no rules had been set for this fight.

The grass below Arthur's feet elongated slightly before wrapping around the boy's foot, causing him to trip and fall flat on his face. Then, as quickly as it had grown, it shrunk back to its regular size.

"You seem to like falling on your face, hm?" Merlin laughed, before an adult voice sounded out from the school doors.

"That's enough!"

Merlin turned to see one of the teachers standing there, red-faced. "Both of you to the headmaster's office, now!"

Arthur grumbled something under his breath as he rose to his feet and both boys entered the school, the teacher escorting them to the head.

[-]

Merlin's cheek still stung from Arthur's blow and he was almost positive he'd have a bruise. Yet, he still smiled. After all, it had taken a similar situation in the past to force them together. Maybe it would happen again.

"We do not tolerate fighting in this school!" The headmaster shouted. "You boys will both be on detention tomorrow night!"

Merlin slumped in his chair. Wonderful, now he'd have to be staying late. Hadn't he just scrutinised those who got detentions? Oh, the irony.

By the time he arrived in class, he'd already missed at least three quarters of the lesson. The teacher didn't even hardly look at him as she indicated for him to take his seat and handed him a couple of sheets of paper.

"What happened?" Thalia asked as soon as he entered, her eyes on his cheek. The bruise had obviously already begun to form. Then her eyes narrowed slightly. "Arthur?" she asked, as if reading his mind.

Merlin nodded and took his seat next to her. "I have detention tomorrow night for fighting with him."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Detention will just make it worse," she muttered. "Students are usually left unsupervised, meaning he has more of a chance to beat you up."

"I'll be f-" Merlin was cut off as Thalia suddenly raised her hand.

"Yes, Thalia?" asked the teacher.

Then the girl said something Merlin didn't even want to repeat mentally. He frowned and looked at her, shocked, as did most of the class.

"Excuse me?" The teacher asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You heard," Thalia told her.

The teacher then stepped up to the whiteboard and uncapped her marker, writing Thalia's name under the 'detention' list.

"Now Arthur won't have a chance to beat you up," she told Merlin, who finally understood.

"Thanks," he muttered, though he was a little disappointed- having wanted to spend time alone with Arthur. But Thalia was obviously just trying to be a good friend and help him out with the bully. How could she have realised that, with his magic, he could handle himself perfectly fine?


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Woo! I actually have it up on the right day! Brilliant. So, anyways, here's the next installment of Reincarnated Legend. That poll is now up for what shippings you would like to see in this fanfic. Keep reviewing and following, I really appreciate it!

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Chapter 5

Merlin made his way to the classroom that detention was being held in that night. Thalia walked alongside him, chattering away about characters out of some television programme that she watched. The boy wasn't really listening but he nodded his head every now and then to pretend that he was.

By this point, the school was almost silent. Save for the buzzing, humming noise of one of the cleaners with a vacuum further down the hallway. Merlin did think it was rather eerie because of this.

When they arrived at the classroom, there were only two other people there. Arthur sat at one of the back desks, glaring at Merlin as he walked through the doorway- only for Thalia to return the exact same glare. Then there was another girl, one Merlin mildly recognised from the canteen- the one who Thalia had been yelling at.

Glancing at the girl next to him, Merlin realised that Thalia had seen the young blonde girl at about the same time as he had- her eyes narrowing to slits.

Storming to the front of the classroom, Thalia slammed her hands down on the blonde's desk. "You told mum and dad that you were going over to a friend's house to study," she growled. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question," the younger one replied snarkily. "I thought you were going to see a film with that boy you've been hanging around with; Merlin, was it?"

Merlin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, wondering why Thalia had lied to her parents and this girl- who the boy was beginning to assume was her sister.

Thalia's eyes flickered up to meet his for a second before looking away quickly again, but not before her sister had followed her gaze. "Is this him?" she asked, smirking.

"Yeah, this is Merlin," Thalia replied, giving a small sigh. "Merlin, meet my sister Elizabeth."

Elizabeth giggled. "She talks about you _all _of the time," she teased, causing Thalia to growl something under her breath which Merlin didn't quite catch.

He felt his cheeks flush a little at that and was about to say something but was saved by the teacher as he walked inside. "Take your seats!"

Merlin scurried into the seat next to Arthur- earning him a confused look both from the other boy and from Thalia, who sat down at an empty desk on her own. She tilted her head at him, brown hair falling over one shoulder- obviously wondering what he was up to.

The boy gave a small shrug of his shoulder before looking back at the bespectacled teacher who was pacing the length of the front of the classroom. "There will be no talking, no whispering, no passing notes, no looking at phones, no doing work, no chewing gum..." he continued but Merlin had already zoned out by this point, staring out of the window.

Being that it was winter, it was already sunset- the sky reddening. In another fifteen minutes or so the sun would be completely gone and it would be dark outside. Merlin stared out of the window for all of this time, and some more, until they heard the first scream.

It sounded like it had came from somewhere in the school. It was a loud screech that Merlin could have sworn he had heard somewhere before.

The teacher looked up from the book he was reading and stood slowly. "You all stay here," he said. "And this doesn't give you the excuse to talk." Then he exited out into the corridor, vanishing from sight.

"What in the bloody hell do you think that was?" Arthur asked, looking around at the others.

Thalia shrugged. "Probably just someone having a joke."

Merlin frowned. "Yeah... probably," he murmured.

Then there came another screech and all four of them jumped to their feet in shock. It had sounded as though it had only came from just outside of the classroom.

"Maybe we should check it out?" Thalia suggested. "Just to make sure."

"What if it's a serial killer?" Elizabeth worried. "Or zombies, or aliens, or-"

"Shut up," Thalia growled at her, cutting her off. "Come on, let's check it out."

Merlin stepped to follow and immediately felt strong hands shove him forwards. He stumbled to regain his balance, trying not to alert Thalia to what Arthur had done so as not to start another fight between the two.

Luckily for him, Thalia's interest was elsewhere as she peeked out into the corridor.

"You were fairly brave for fighting me outside earlier," Arthur told him. "But you were also pretty stupid. I would have ground you to dirt if given the chance."

Merlin smirked slightly. "Just like old times."

The brawny boy frowned slightly, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You'll find out later," Merlin replied as he quickly followed Thalia into the corridor.

Another scream came from a little further down the corridor and Elizabeth gave a small whimper. Arthur put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly before stepping forwards to take the lead, Merlin just after him.

That's when he saw it. The pale, translucent skull that was flying down the corridor towards him. That was when Merlin finally realised what it was, what had been killing all of those people. Dorocha. They had been released again and Merlin would again have to stop them.

There was a patter of hurried footsteps behind him and Thalia yelling her sister to come back. Then Arthur had him by the back of his shirt, dragging him into one of the classrooms, away from the spirit.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I took a break from writing over Christmas/New Year to try and help improve my muse for writing a bit. But anyway, I'm back now so it should be back to Sunday as my update day. So here's Chapter 6. Please continue to favourite, follow and review; it really helps spur me on with this fanfiction.

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Chapter 6

The dorocha wailed past the classroom door, heading down the corridor. There came a loud scream from a familiar person, followed by a clatter and Merlin's eyes widened- his hand automatically reaching for the door handle, wanting to go help his friend. But Arthur placed a hand across the smaller boy's chest.

"It's too dangerous," the blonde told him. "We can't go out just yet."

Merlin tried to move out of the door again but Arthur stepped into his path. "We have to go help her!" the warlock complained. "We have to!"

Arthur sighed. "Fine, but I'm going first," he said as he turned and peeked out into the corridor. "I think it's clear." He moved out quickly before hurrying towards the form curled up on the floor, Merlin following closely behind him.

As soon as they reached Thalia, Merlin knelt next to her- taking her pulse. He didn't expect there to be anything. After all, everyone who had encountered the dorocha like that had died (except him, of course but he was magic so he didn't count). He expected that his friend would be... well... dead.

But, as he touched his forefinger to her wrist, he made a startling discovery- feeling a soft, beating pressure. Her skin was ice cold and her breathing was barely there but she was still alive!

"E-Elizabeth..." came a raspy, cracking voice and Merlin almost jumped out of his skin as he noticed Thalia's eyes open. "P-please...?" Then her eyes closed again and she looked to have passed out.

The boy nodded and looked at Arthur, understanding what she was trying to communicate. "Go find her sister," he told Arthur. "She ran off, she could be in danger."

Though his eyes showed a hint of fear, Arthur put on a brave face. "Right," he nodded. "I'll be back soon." He then set off at a jog down the corridor, leaving Merlin and Thalia alone.

Merlin set his hands on both of Thalia's wrists, glancing up to make sure that Arthur was out of sight before setting his eyes on Thalia's face. His eyes glowed gold as he used his magic to warm her body, to get her out of the awfully cold state she was in.

Little did he know that Thalia was not completely out. She could feel the warmth that spread unnaturally from his hands and, right at the last moment, her green eyes opened- looking straight into his glowing gold ones.

The warlock jerked backwards in surprise, the gold faded and was replaced by his regular blue. He scooted away from her a little, trying to figure out what to do, something to say, as Thalia tried to sit up- obviously having a bit of trouble with the task.

Eventually, the girl settled for rolling half on her side so she could look at him. "H-how?" she asked him, for which he had no answer to tell him. He was astounded that she wasn't looking at him like some sort of freak, some sort of monster. Instead, her eyes were curious and wondering.

Merlin didn't speak for a few minutes but he knew he'd have to say something soon. "Nobody can know," he told her. "I'll explain everything to you if you just promise not to say anything."

Thalia nodded. "Promise," she swore.

He stood and made his way back to her, wrapping an arm around her waist in order to help her up. "We need to get into one of the classrooms, preferably one of the science labs."

[-]

In the science lab, Merlin had set up a bunsen burner on one of the benches and was busy trying to create a fire torch from some clamps and paper. It was coming along pretty well considering he was in a hurry.

Thalia lay across another bench, resting. She was beginning to look a lot better than she had but her recovery was still confusing to Merlin. How had she managed to survive that attack? He wracked his brain for any answer other than the one that seemed the most suspicious; that she had magic too.

As a powerful warlock, Merlin would have expected that- if she did indeed have magic- he'd have been able to sense it.

Arthur, as of yet, had not returned with Thalia's sister and it was beginning to worry Merlin. But there were plenty of explanations other than that they may have been attacked. Maybe Arthur was still searching, or they had managed to get out of the school and were safe.

The warlock had went back to where Arthur had left them to leave a note for the reincarnated king to tell him where he and Thalia were hiding out. He would continue to wait here, in case they did show up. At least he and Thalia had protection from the spirits now thanks to the science equipment. And, once the sun had risen, Merlin would be free to search without risking Thalia getting attacked again in his absence.

Daytime would mean that they could plan and figure this out. Merlin wasn't even so sure he remembered where the Island of the Blessed was anymore. After all, it had been hundreds of years since he had last visited that place. And who would be the sacrifice this time? There was no Lancelot to step in and save the day, to stop Arthur from trying to sacrifice himself for everyone again. Perhaps the reincarnation wouldn't be as sacrificial as the original. Hopefully.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Here's the next installment of Reincarnated Legend. Hope you like it!_

* * *

Chapter 7

The sunrise came as a relief to Merlin. As the light became visible through the huge windows, he let the handmade torch fall from his hand- hissing in the bowl of water that he had dropped it in. Walking to Thalia, he placed a hand on her forehead. Her temperature was almost back to normal by this point.

"Be safe," he told the sleeping girl in a soft voice. "I'll be back for you soon." With that, he turned and walked out of the lab and into the corridor, starting into a slow jog.

Arthur and Elizabeth had not found them during the night which had only made his worry for them grow worse. He'd left clear enough instructions of where to find them, hadn't he?

Eyes glowing in the half-light of dawn, Merlin used his magic to scour the building for the two. Eventually, he began to feel a pull that lead him down corridor after corridor, passing tons of empty classrooms as he went. He skidded to a stop outside of a door that was labelled 'Cleaners' and tried the handle. The door didn't budge.

"Aliese," the warlock muttered, the spell for unlocking, and heard the lock slide back. With one, flowing movement, Merlin opened the door wide.

Although the cupboard was dark, the boy could still see the two shapes huddled inside.

"Merlin?" asked Arthur's familiar voice, peeling the small girl from his side- only to have her reattach herself barely a second later. "Are those things gone?"

The scrawny boy nodded. "They go when the sun rises," he replied. "We're safe until nighttime."

Arthur stood up with difficulty, still trying to push Elizabeth off him. In the end, he just settled with allowing her to grip onto his arm. "Where's Thalia?" he asked in an anxious tone. "Is she...?" He didn't have to continue the question for Merlin to understand what he was asking.

"I think she'll be fine," Merlin replied. "She's in one of the science labs." He closed the door behind the two as they exited and led the way to the science lab.

[-]

The group had left the school and gone to Merlin's flat. Now, Thalia lay across the sofa- awake though it was obvious that she still wanted to sleep. But she was determined to stay awake to hear what Merlin had to say. Elizabeth sat down at her feet whilst Arthur sat in an armchair nearby.

Merlin himself paced in front of the television, trying to figure out where to start.

"So, are you him then?" Thalia asked suddenly. Her tone was curious, but tired. "The 'Merlin' from the legends? The one with the long, white beard and pointy hat?"

"I never wore a pointy hat," Merlin replied, smirking. "And I only had the beard a couple of times when I was-" He was cut off as there was a knocking at the door.

"Finally," Arthur said as he stood and walked over to answer it. Yanking it open, he allowed the crowd of people waiting outside to come in. Naturally, without consulting Merlin about it first.

Merlin moved in front of them before they could go any further than his kitchen. "What's this?" he asked, directing the question mostly at Arthur.

"I invited them over," the blonde replied. "If we're going to stop this thing then we're going to need more than just the four of us."

The warlock looked over the people as they entered, allowing his eyes to focus on each of them individually. It was the same group Arthur had been sitting with at lunch a few days ago. If only Merlin had looked closer that day.

The boy who seemed adamant not to wear sleeves was muscly, with an almost skin-head (save for the inch of hair he had left on top).

"Percival?" Merlin asked in shock.

"I actually go by Percy," the boy told him warily. "Not many know my real name. How do you?"

Merlin ignored his question and moved onto the next boy. His dark blonde hair went down to his shoulders, messed up and curly. _Leon?_

The next was eating a startling green apple, his scruffy appearance making it obvious who he was- Gwaine. Elyan was there, too.

His eyes continued searching, trying to look behind them to see the one face he really wanted to meet again. But there was no sign of Lancelot, his old friend. Instead, he was greeted by bright blue eyes staring at him from under a dark green hoodie.

_Hello, Emrys, _came a very familiar voice in his head.

"Mordred?" came Arthur's close-to-yell. "What are you doing here?"

The small boy stepped forwards to sit on the arm of the sofa next to Elizabeth. "Lizzie invited me," he replied, smirking.

"B-Bu... no! No, no no! You have to leave!" Arthur spluttered.

"Not a chance," replied the boy. "No chance at all."

Arthur gave a small growl and went to grab the back of Mordred's jacket but the boy easily dodged out of the way.

"You invited your rugby team," Elizabeth spoke up. "Why can't Mordred stay?"

The blonde turned to glare at her, obviously not pleased by her words. But he sat down anyway, resigning to the fact that his younger brother was staying. He gave a small huff and folded his arms as Mordred sat back down.

"Have you heard from Morganna? She didn't come home last night," Mordred asked Arthur.

Arthur shook his head. "No, I haven't heard anything from her." He started to say something else but that was when Merlin finally got his words together.

"So, I guess it's good that you're all here," the scrawny boy started. "Because you're all kind of included in this." He glanced over at the two sisters on the sofa. "Well... not you two."

"We are now," Thalia murmured. "And there's nothing you can do to stop that."

Merlin smiled at that before continuing. "Have you ever heard of the knights of the round table?" he asked.

There was a murmur from the group around him. "Well... all of that actually happened. I am Merlin, warlock and friend to King Arthur."

Oddly enough, all of them apart from Arthur himself didn't seem confused by that. Arthur's eyes were narrowed and his head tilted a little in confusion. "You've got to be joking. You're not a warlock."

Merlin was sure it should have been coming back to the reincarnated king by now but apparently not. "I am," he replied and turned to look for something to help prove it but the sound of footsteps caused him to turn back, only to find Arthur's chair empty and the occupant nowhere to be seen.


End file.
